Dame Yume
by Kuwabaralover
Summary: Fear --- It can make you realize your own limitations, or it can physically, mentally and emotionally destroy you. For Yusuke and the gang, fear is going to be the only thing they’ll come to know...CHAPTER 7 IS FINALLY UP!
1. A Bad Omen

Hey! This is my very first YYH fic, so be gentle *sighs* I'm starting to get the hand of this... I think. Anyway, my fic is going to be really original. If you're tired of all the usual YYH fics, and you want original goodness, you've come to the right place. Don't worry, this fic is going to contain every genre: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance, you name it! So if you've been finally waiting for a YYH fic that's written well without grammar mistakes, here it is. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!

And, I want to dedicate this fanfic to my friend Wicked-Wytch who inspired me to write a Yu Yu Hakusho fanfic. Her story, Darque Tournament, is one of the best stories around, so make sure to read it!

Oh, BTW, I chose my Japanese title 'Dame Yume' for good reason. It means 'Bad Dream'. 

____________________________________________________________________________________

**** __

Blood... 

The ominous voice rang louder in his ears, and fear chilled his blood. Perspiration trickled down his forehead, and he let the sweat fall to the black, hardened ground. Kuwabara kept running away, even though his leg muscles were screaming in pain for him to stop. It would've been so damn easy to stop running and face his adversary like a man, but that would quickly resolve in his shameful demise. What the hell was he running away from? 

****

I want your blood... 

The dark void glowed with an orange aura as soon as his Spirit Sword erupted from his hands. Why the hell couldn't that damn voice shut up? What did he want from him? He grew hot with anxiety as soon as he realized it... his pursuer only wanted him... dead. In mad frustration, the fourteen-year-old boy swung his sword into the black air, with no success or avail. Where was_ this guy? _

His legs stopped moving and all the energy he had left disappeared immediately. His knees banged hard against the concrete floor and excruciating pain ran through his entire body. He was surrounded by the unpleasant darkness once more, and nausea burst into his head. He moaned in silent pain, and felt like collapsing on the floor to die. His breaths were raspy and short, and despite the fact that he couldn't see anything, he could feel his eyes start to blur. 

Suddenly, out in the distance, a shimmering small light started to form. A short figure appeared, and was accompanied by two other entities. In a sudden rush of paranoia, he looked closer to the short shadow that seemed too familiar to not recognize. The black hair with white tips... the dark, midnight black clothes...

"Hei?" 

*~*

Kuwabara immediately woke up screaming; his body was dripping with sweat. He grabbed his head in pain and slammed his fists to his bed. What in the hell just happened? That was the weirdest, most unreasonable dream he'd ever had in his short life. Still in confusion and shock, the red-haired boy tucked the covers over himself and quickly, but cautiously went back to bed. 

****

Chapter One

The noisy bustle of everyday Sarayakishi Junior High life was filling up the hallways; girlfriends were talking joyously about their hot boyfriends, preps were practicing cheerleading, the jocks were talking about how awesome they played last night, and finally, the dorks were studying in between classrooms to get perfect scores on their tests. All in all, the day was going as planned. The loud, screeching bell rang and all of the students filed into their classes. A teacher ran down her class roster, and called the names aloud for attendance. 

"Yusuke Urameshi?" 

Instantly the class quieted down and looked for the boy that was being called for. It was then that they noticed the two empty seats that were residing right next to each other at the very far back of the classroom. 

"Kazuma Kuwabara?" 

This time, the entire class broke out with a grin and tried to stifle their oncoming laughs. They all knew where the two 'punks' were, and the teacher shook her head and hastily went on with the role. Not many people were in their classrooms that day, for just down the hall, across the D Wing, was the two strongest fighters in the entire high school skipping classes and playing pranks on some of the lower grade kids. 

Yusuke sighed in boredom, resting on the wall that was just outside all of his classes. Koanme hadn't really given him a case in a couple of days, and Botan surprisingly hadn't come to annoy him with an assignment lately. What was going on? Before, he wouldn't even have a day's rest without some new demon or threat coming along to snatch his perfect three-day weekend. Now, it was as if everything was peaceful and life had continued without any cases. The ironic thing about it was, he actually _missed _using his Spirit Gun to kill an enemy. The thrill and excitement of a fight always motivated him to do better, but... now, he _craved _being out there, risking his life. Damn, he would never take another one of those days for granted again. 

He was interrupted of his thoughts as the glare of spirit energy made shadows dance across his body. He smiled smugly, at the scene that was being displayed before him. Kuwabara was working twice as hard to work up his Spirit Sword. It glowed radiantly in his clenched hands, and it towered very high above his head. Damn, that guy was so dedicated and determined. There was not one second that ticked by that Kuwabara wasn't working on improving his skills. He struggled and never gave up, even if it meant his very own life. 

"Geez, Kuwabara! You've been working on improving your Spirit Sword for four hours and you _still_ haven't gotten any better." 

"Shut up Urameshi! At least I'm not wasting my time thinking about Keiko!" 

Yusuke blushed furiously but didn't give up on his verbal assault just yet. 

"Oh yeah? What about you, Kuwabara? I see you blush every time you see Botan!" 

This caused Kuwabara to immediately shut up, and his Spirit Sword got sufficiently longer than it was before. Without a moment's hesitation, Kuwabara pointed his sword at his rival. 

"_First _off Urameshi, I _don't_ like Botan anymore, I love Yukina. _Second_ off, you have no reason not to be training or working on your spirit gun. You're just being lazy!" 

"Lazy? There's no reason to be training anyway... even if you train the entire day; I can still beat your ass." 

The reaction was just what Yusuke had thought it would be. Kuwabara's face grew red with hot anger and he was ready to attack with a fast quip. 

"What did you say Urameshi? Why don't you just come and say it to my face-"

With that, the loud booming bell sounded throughout the entire school, signifying it was finally the end of the day. The bustle that had gone on in homeroom immediately continued once friends met up with their groups. Almost a few seconds later, Kuwabara and Yusuke were the only people left. 

Still angry about his rival's statement, you could practically see smoke coming out of his ears. The entire scene would've been funny if Yusuke was only joking around. 

"Hey, don't take it so serious. Anyway, I have stuff to do after school, wanna come?" 

"No, I guess I should just go home. Shizuru would kill me if I were late." 

With those last two comments, the two strong boys departed their separate ways, and walked down their different streets. Kuwabara furiously stuffed his hands into his pockets, and every step he took resulted in his foot slamming hard against the concrete. How dare Urameshi say he could beat his ass? Couldn't he see the new techniques he was learning on his damn Spirit Sword? Hell, Yusuke couldn't sense a good amount of spirit energy even if it was in front of his nose. How the hell else did he think Hei and Kurama were strong? They were nothing but pathetic, weaklings who thought demons could quickly overpower humans. Well, they were definitely wrong. As long as Kuzama Kuwabara lived, he would show those arrogant demons a thing or two. 

He sighed. 

A strong current of wind whipped across his surroundings and his clothes waved slowly back and forth, making apparent wrinkles on his white shirt. He looked to the setting sun in peaceful serenity, and his thoughts transpired into the one subject that had been plaguing his thoughts since this morning. 

The nightmare. 

What _was_ it? What it a sign of the dangers to come? Was it a warning from someone needing help? Or... was it the impending future? Why would someone send him a nightmare of _himself _in danger? None of this made any sense whatsoever! What was he running away from? Why had _Hei_ been in the dream? What was going on? 

Kuwabara winced in anger at his disability of not knowing the damn answers to these damn questions. 

__

"It probably doesn't mean anything... it was just a stupid nightmare..." 

He tried to reassure himself, but he knew he would only be lying to himself. As much as he wanted to believe everything was great and his life was without any impending doom, it just wasn't the truth. A feeling of anger and sorrow filled his heart to the brim. It wasn't a good feeling. It wasn't a good feeling _at all_. 

When his home came into view, a sigh escaped his throat. Finally a place where he could feel safe and without the thoughts that burned his soul. 

**__**

I want blood... 

Instantly, he felt as if a ton of fear and guilt was weighed on him. He drowned himself in fear and lost himself in panic. What the hell was that? He looked around, shifting his eyes in every visible direction, but there seemed to be not another soul for miles. Who said that...? Trying to shake the frightening thoughts away, Kuwabara ran inside his house and locked the door. 

____________________________________________________________________________________

Did you like it? Please tell me in a review if you want me to continue!


	2. His Only Savior

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated; I'm just having a hard time with school. Final Exams week -_-; But summer vacation is starting in two weeks! *cheers* Then I'll really be able to update this fic! Probably like every other day! Thanks to my reviewers: hyperactiveme, Who Dares Wins, zsaigais, *, Jesanae Tekani, Kaz, Wicked-Wytch, Jesscheaux (I really loved your review! Kuwabara's awesome! :P) , and Lead Ed 89! You guys are so good to me! I liked all the constructive criticism, and really appreciate your true and honest opinions. Enjoy the chapter!

____________________________________________________________________________________

****

Chapter Two

Night seemed to claim the town, and the sun was getting ready to take its transitory sleep. The beautiful blue colors of the sky changed into a proud, darker shade and the moon was grinning at the world below. Mostly everyone around was fast asleep, giving in to the exhaustion that overcame them and they blissfully fell into the dream world, where their greatest ambitions and fantasies came to life. 

There was only one person --- a _boy_, if you will, that dreaded this time of the "day". To him, the darkness was some evil demon coming to take him away from all that he treasured. He was the darkness's fatal prisoner, and now at _this_ time, there was absolutely no escaping it. He was stuck, cornered and alone until the sun awoke and saved him from this merciless hell. All that this boy could do was to close his eyes and to surrender to the nightmares that overpowered his consciousness. Helpless and frightened were two emotions that he always felt, and he was sick of it. But there was absolutely nothing he could do... so he surrendered. 

__

*~*

Out in the distance, a shimmering small light started to form. A short figure appeared, and was accompanied by two other entities. In a sudden rush of paranoia, he looked closer to the short shadow that seemed too familiar to not recognize. The black hair with white tips... the dark, midnight black clothes...

"Hiei?" 

There was no reply, as if the three figures were deaf and blind to the fourteen-year-old boy that stood 100 yards in front of them. Kuwabara stood in confusion and disbelief, not knowing why the demon was accompanied by two other figures, or why any of them were here. In an instant, realization struck the boy and answered one of his questions. 

The other two were Yusuke and Kurama. 

Anger surged through every vein in his body and he clenched his fists. How dare they have a group meeting without him? Did they honestly think he was a poor attachment to the team and didn't deserve to be treated properly? His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the soft laughter coming from their side of the dark void. What was going on...? 

"He's so pathetic. Honestly... how could you ever have considered him part of our team, Yusuke?" 

That was Hiei... Kuwabara's nails sunk deep into his fists, causing blood to drip down onto the black, hard floor. Damn it! Were they really talking about him? His eyes shifted to the next figure, which resembled Yusuke's body structure. 

"You're right Hiei, he is_ pathetic. He's never helped our team at all. He's only brought us down..." _

"My thoughts exactly." Came the third voice. 

No... Not Kurama too. Out of anyone in the entire team, Kurama was always the one who never really said anything that bad to Kuzuma... until now. The three strongest members of Team Urameshi laughed and taunted until the darkness wrapped itself around Kuwabara and sucked the life out him. 

*~*

"NO!"

Sweat trickled down his face and he once again slammed his fists into the damp bed sheets. Damn! When would this literal nightmare end? What the hell _was this_? All of his other nightmares or visions hadn't involved useless information --- they either helped him in some way or told someone's past. And never before had he had nightmares that involved his other teammates _directly_. So... what was this? A warning? A message? Of _what_? What dangers could resolve with his team backstabbing him? It didn't make any sense! 

In sheer frustration and rage, Kuwabara let out a cry of despair. He _hated_ the situation he found himself in... He was helpless and frightened, like a miserable child. Maybe he _was_ pathetic... Trying to redirect his thoughts into something else, he looked to the clock. 

6:00 am. 

**__**

He looked outside his window and saw that the moon was still taunting the world below. He knew the darkness was still trying to kill him, just like many other demons had tried to do before it. He knew he was destined to be the darkness's prisoner until the Sun, his only savior, took it all away. 

**__**

RING!

****

He immediately jumped in surprise, only to realize the startling noise had come from the telephone ringing. Hastily, he grasped the telephone and cautiously put it in his ear. 

"Hello?" 

No reply. Silence filled the entire room and a chill swept up and down his spine. 

"Is anybody there?" 

Still, there was absolutely no answer. Except now, Kuwabara could hear a noise start to develop in the background. He strained his ears to listen, but the noise still seemed too distant. Suddenly, the noise became clear. 

It was _laughter_. 

Kuwabara lost himself in the fear and the phone almost fell to the floor as he was losing his tight grip on it. What the hell was going on?! 

"**_I want your blood..." _**

Fear sent chills down his neck and sweat trickled down his forehead. His heart slammed hard against his ribcage, and every breath he took seemed impossible to breathe. Nausea erupted into his head, causing his body temperatures to revive the burning fire within his soul. Everything was swirling; a whirlwind of darkness and black until everything stopped and all Kuwabara could hear was a dial tone. He slammed the phone back into its receiver, trying to ignore the shivers that threatened to overcome him. 

... What the _hell _just happened? Did he... just get a phone call that was related to his nightmares? How could anyone know about them, but _he_? Unless, there was actually someone behind it all. Or _something..._

__

RING!

An icy poison bit at his stomach and clawed its way into his heart. Despite the fear and paranoia he was experiencing, he couldn't help but try to fight back the overwhelming anger. How dare someone try to scare him _again_? Who the hell did they think they were? Trying to control this stimulating excitement and dread, Kuzuma picked up the phone.

"... Hello?" 

Silence. The familiar fear started to well up in the pit of his stomach, and now sweat dripped down onto his already damp bed. 

"Answer me! Is anybody there?!" 

No reply once again. Getting tired of this relentless game, Kuwabara was about to shout into the phone when ---

"Hello? Kuwabara?" 

Instantly the anger died down and the fourteen-year-olds body released the tension and strain it was undergoing just a few seconds ago. 

"Oh... Hey Urameshi." Then his senses came to him. "... Wait, why the hell are you calling me so early in the morning?!"

"Oh... well, Keiko just called me to tell me that we should all go to the movies with her tomorrow. And you know how boring_ that _is. Do you want to go?" 

There was a brief silence and then a sigh. 

"Fine... but you owe me big time for this Urameshi." 

"I _know_, I know. Hey... are you okay?" 

Despair welled up in Kuwabara's heart and fear sent chills running up the back of his neck. 

"Of coarse I'm okay Urameshi! Why wouldn't I be?" 

"I dunno... you just sound a little... stressed. Are you sure everything's all right?" 

"... Yes, I'm fine." 

"Okay... see you later Kuwabara." 

"Bye." 

The boy was startled by the sudden silence that filled the still room, and all he could hear was his heart beating rapidly in his chest. Blood pounded in his ears, and no longer was he complaining about the quiet. Damn it! Why didn't he just tell Urameshi what was wrong? He had the perfect opportunity! It would've been so easy... just to let go and pour out everything that he was feeling. All the fear he went through and just what was going on in his mind. But he was no _wuss_, and he certainly wasn't a _weakling_. His pride and honor meant everything to him. Even if he was in mortal danger... 

Which was something he was certainly in. 

Outside, in the unkind world, the sun has finally awoken. Its bright rays touched the small town and revived most of its inhabitants. Most people dreaded the sight of the light and closed their eyes again, trying to hold on to the darkness. But only one person, --- a _boy_, if you will, that welcomed the sun with open arms. It chased the evil demons and spirits away and finally he had escaped the prison. For now. 

In the dawning horizon, where a boy's savior had risen, someone, --- a _demon_, if you will, flew there with his arms crossed and his eyes ablaze with excitement. A grim smirk played happily on his lips, and a small-suppressed chuckle escaped his throat. 

"Soon... so very soon. I will have your blood." 

__

__ __ __


	3. Drowning in Fear

Well, you know what time it is. Summer Vacation! *grins* Personally, I think this is the best time of the year! Mostly because now I can work on my fanfiction all I want and don't have any school projects or exams to worry about. Thanks to everyone that reviewed: Jesaenae Tekani, Angelfire, Jesscheaux (I love your 'Revenge' fics! They're so hilarious!), Kaz, Lead Ed 89, Mercury Elf, Kizuma Kuwabara (I love your fanfics! You're a talented writer with great potential. And Kuwabara rocks!), Susue, and purplechaos04! You don't understand how much your reviews mean to me! Enough of my continuous babbling; enjoy the chapter! 

Just for your enjoyment, this chapter's extra long and contains some gory violence :D 

____________________________________________________________________________________

****

Chapter Three

"How the _hell_ did I get myself into this again, Urameshi?"

"I called you this morning and you said you'd come with me, idiot."

"Oh... oh yeah." 

The two boys grudgingly walked behind Keiko, exchanging snide remarks and comments while she looked back and gave them reproving looks. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The streets were crowded in their usual manner, consisting of hundreds of people shopping or just going out for a good time. The two boys were doing neither. 

"Aw, c'mon you guys. This isn't _that _bad..." 

"Yeah, if you call going to a stupid movie surrounded by little, loud annoying kids not bad." 

Kuwabara gave a content smirk, thoroughly enjoying the fact that Yusuke and Keiko were always arguing. To any normal bystander, it would've been a normal day... if not the fact that just beyond the tall skyscrapers, just under the fluffy, white clouds lay an evil watching the crowds and the streets below with close surveillance. Among the hundreds of humans that congested the streets, there was only one very special person he was keeping an eye on. 

Kazuma Kuwabara. 

Yes, he's heard many unique stories about his victim. Stories of the cases he's completed with young Urameshi... stories of his famous Spirit Sword and his undying pride and honor. He would soon find out if any of these stories were true. His eyes wandered down to his prey. How happy he seemed... he knew it was all a mask, just some cover so nobody would think something was wrong. Oh, but he'd have a reason to tell someone soon. And that person would probably be Yusuke Urameshi. 

***

A cold chill swept up his heart, causing fear to explode in his eyes. In a quick whim, he looked up into the sky, expecting an angel of death to come and take him. 

There was nothing there. 

Breathing a sigh of relief but never regaining his composure, Kuwabara stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued trailing after Keiko and Yusuke. The Spirit Detective noticed the slight paranoia in his best friend's eyes and decided to ask why.

"Hey Kuwabara, what's wrong? You look like you just saw a demon or something." 

A pained expression crossed Kazuma's face, and a twinge of fear swept through his eyes. Almost instantly, a wry smile forced it's way on his lips and he laughed a small, but fairly fake chuckle. 

"Heh heh... Urameshi, always such a kidder." 

Yusuke's eyebrows raised in disbelief and he eyed Kuwabara warily. Something wasn't right... something was very wrong. The fourteen-year-old Spirit Detective felt it with every fiber in his body. Something was going on with Kuwabara, and he was going to find out what it was. Yusuke knew what he was feeling wasn't just a stupid hunch; ever since the early morning he had been acting very strangely. Cautious, almost _scared_. 

Was there another mission he wasn't aware of? 

Or... was Kuwabara only sensing something that he could not? 

Whatever the case was, Yusuke knew that something was troubling his best friend. It was obviously something terrifying, because it took a lot to shake Kuwabara's usually unshakeable nerves. Sure, he had seen Kuwabara scared before, but not like this. Something in his eyes... was different. It wasn't the same defiant eyes that he had become so accustomed to; it was more like fearful onyx orbs of coal that had a haunting look about them. 

Damn... what could possibly be wrong? 

"C'mon Urameshi... hurry up! Let's get this stupid movie over with!" Came Kuwabara's loud voice, snapping Yusuke out of the daze he was in and earning Kuwabara a death glare from Keiko. Yusuke tried to find humor in the situation but too much was troubling his mind. He hurried his walk and now was walking along with Keiko to his right and Kuwabara to his left. 

__

Everything would seem normal, if Kuwabara stopped being an idiot and lost that anxious look in his eyes, Yusuke thought morbidly. Why was that look bothering him so much? Was it the fact that he didn't like his friends being worried, or... 

Was it because whatever Kuwabara was sensing, he could sense it too? 

Trying to shake the grave thoughts from his head, Yusuke growled and muttered to himself to stop being so weak. Maybe he was just over exaggerating. Maybe Kuwabara really wasn't scared about something and maybe there was nothing really wrong with him. 

__

Yep, it settles it then. Kuwabara's just being stupid... 

With a satisfied smile, Yusuke finally let go of all the tension he had been feeling for the past couple of minutes. 

... Only to gain every ounce of it back. His apprehension was awakened once more by a grunting noise coming from his left. His head snapped back and he directed it to the direction from which the noise was coming from... only to find Kuwabara wincing in pain, and grabbing his head, trying to soothe the throbbing that would never go away. Sweat dripped down his already damp face. Yusuke immediately stopped walking and turned to face Kuwabara. 

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Instantaneously, the look of torment and fear and the expression of horror changed into a look of immense anger and abhorrence. 

"I'm fine Urameshi! How many times do I have to tell you?" 

With those words being said, the two didn't say a word to each other the entire time they were together. Even when the three of them parted, Yusuke only said goodbye to Keiko and Kuwabara did the same, and both were completely avoiding any form of eye contact. Kazuma bitterly sauntered away to his house while Yusuke did the same, both of them not knowing that someone was keeping close watch on the feuding friends. Someone that they knew very well...

***

Damn it! How stupid could he get?

Kuwabara lay on his bed, cursing resentfully to himself. Why the hell does he keep pushing Urameshi away? Why doesn't he tell him that something's wrong... that he keeps having these weird nightmares and that he gets anonymous phone calls from the same weirdo that's giving him the nightmares? It would've been so easy today to tell him, but _no_... His stupid pride blinded him and that resulted to no conversation between him and Urameshi at all. 

He sighed... Oh well. First thing tomorrow morning he would call his rival and tell him all that's been worrying him. 

But... did he really want to do that? For the first time in weeks Yusuke looked happy; not completely happy given the situation of shopping and going to the movies, but happy, nonetheless. He didn't want Urameshi worrying over some stupid nightmares and phone calls. For all he knew, the damn calls were probably some gangs messing around with him. They must've heard about his great strength and decided to get to his head. Well, there was no way some stupid gang would get to the Great Kazuma Kuwabara's head... no way. And the stupid nightmares... what nightmares? They were just probably some stupid dreams that meant absolutely nothing. 

For the first time in a week, Kuwabara closed his eyes in total bliss with the reassurance that nothing wrong was going on.

__

*~*

He was running, running down the black, long eternity of nothing. He was the prey and the victim, running like a coward from whatever it was that was chasing him. No! He would not die like a coward! His whole life had been bound by an honor code and he wasn't about to die without it. He lived with honor, and dammit, he would die with it as well. Determined and not afraid anymore, the fourteen-year-old stopped moving his legs. 

HA! He would love to see his predator try and kill him now. 

But what he saw, was absolutely nothing...

... Except the minuscule, burning light in the near distance. 

'Not this again...' _he thought, gritting his teeth together and dreading for what he would see. He expected the four haunting figures to be standing there, coming closer and talking behind his back, but instead he got a very horrific surprise. _

Instead of four ghastly bodily outlines, there was only one. And the one was running towards him, as if it was being chased. 

'Who the hell is it?' 

__

He squinted his eyes to try and see and then realized it was to no avail. He could just imagine Hiei's voice saying, "You don't squint in darkness, fool. It doesn't help." He clenched his fists in confusion, not knowing why the figure was running nor who he was. The light continued to grow, almost reaching the figure, much to it's horror. It kept turning it's head back, as if it was making sure it's pursuer was gone. But as far as Kuwabara could see, no one was following the figure. 

Then, suddenly, the figure tripped and fell a mere feet away from him. The light grew steadily, until it shone brightly on the fallen hero. 

"Urameshi?!" 

Sure enough, Yusuke was on the floor, quivering in fear and shivering with pain. What in the hell was he so afraid of? Yusuke winced and whimpered in horror, trying to get up but his legs seemed to be paralyzed. In the very near distance, Kuwabara could finally see what his best friend was running away from. 

The Toguro Brothers. 

Kuwabara narrowed his eyes in shock, but walked forward to help his friend. 

"Don't worry Urameshi, I've got your back." 

He reached out to help his friend up, but his hands went right through him. At first he thought Yusuke was dead, but then the realization sunk in. 

He _was the one who was dead. _

A dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach exploded into paranoia and he watched the impending scene with fear. Yusuke lost himself in panic and tried to scoot away from his enemy. 

"Don't worry Urameshi, you'll be with Kuwabara soon." 

"No... NO! Just stay away from me!" 

Without much hesitation, Toguro's elder brother transformed into a sword, the exact look of when they fought the Toguro Brothers for the first time. With this sword, Toguro clenched it tightly and stabbed Yusuke with it, and the sword stabbed deep into his chest, going through to the other side. Toguro took the sword out and with it, was Yusuke's heart attached to it. Toguro's maniacal laughter filled the dark oblivion and just before the darkness let go of Kuwabara, Toguro and his brother looked right into his eyes. . . 

*~*

"NO!!!" 

His eyes shot open, and his heart hammered in his chest. Sweat and nausea filled his forehead and a burning sensation covered the top of his head. He shivered involuntarily and felt the urge to die. Never feeling more scared in his entire life, he snatched his phone and started to dial Yusuke's number. 

____________________________________________________________________________________

__

Ooo... creepy. I love evil cliffys... *smirks* As most of you noticed, I e-mailed you to tell you that I've updated. Well, if you want to be part of my Mailing List, please leave your e-mail. Leave it even if I e-mailed you. 


	4. Tormenting Confession

Hey guys! Sorry for the slow update! I've just been really busy this summer, and now I have Band and Drama rehearsal every night. Don't worry, updates won't be as slow as they have been. Anyway, you don't know how much I appreciate the reviews! When I started this fanfic I thought I would get like 0 reviews every chapter, but you fans just keep amazing me! Thanks for being there! Thanks to Jesanae Tekani, Kuzima Kuwabara, Jesscheaux, Angelfire3, purplechoas04, LinkinPark fan 1, Catgirl-13, Foss (Thanks for the correction!), SamBev, Wicked-Wytch, DarkDragon, Nightwalker, and jessZdragon! I hope you like this chapter! 

Oh, and I don't have the slightest idea who the bad guy should be. I have a lot of people in mind, but can't decide. E-mail me at PrinceVegeta5044@aol.com if you have an idea! ;D

___________________________________________________________________________________

****

Chapter Four

Damn it! What the hell was he thinking?!

Yusuke slammed his fists into his mattress, causing all of his pillows to fall to the floor. Why the hell didn't he talk to Kuwabara? Why did his pride have to take over all the time? He knew something was wrong with his best friend... so why didn't he try and find out what it was? Grimacing silently to himself, Yusuke let out a sigh of depression and collapsed on his bed. 

Re-playing the events of the day in his head, Yusuke felt anger beyond anything he'd ever felt in the last few weeks. He was such an idiot! Hatred was swelling up inside of him, and a helpless guilt consumed him. Now he'd have to wait all night just so he could talk to Kuwabara again... and the idiot would probably still be mad at Yusuke so their chances of talking in the near future was slim to none. Yusuke winced in frustration, hating the fact that there was absolutely nothing he could do to make the situation any better. 

__

RING! 

His heart skipped a beat and he instinctively looked at the time on his alarm clock. 

****

3:00 am 

__

What the hell is this about?, Yusuke thought in wonder, _who would be calling me this early in the morning? _

Trying to ignore the excitement that was welling up with every beat of his heart, the young Spirit Detective picked up the phone. 

"Hello?" 

There was a slight pause and very heavy breathing on the other line. 

"Who the hell is this?" 

Instead of a voice answering back as Yusuke had expected, there was more heavy breathing and silence was buzzing in his ears. 

"Look, if you've got nothin' to say then you're just wasting my time. Oh, and the next time you go on one of your dumb ass prank calls again, make sure you call at a better time than 3 o'clock in the morning, asshole---"

"Damn it Urameshi, it's me! Kuwabara!" 

Yusuke's eyebrows raised in disbelief and a smile was set on his face. 

"Hey Kuwabara!..." 

Yusuke almost stopped talking as soon as he started. Having the amazing pride that he had, he could not forgive and forget about their last argument so quickly. Almost as if he was reading his mind, Kuwabara did not interrupt the silence that their conversation had given into. Yusuke shifted around in discomfort, wiping away the sweat that was beginning to form in his brow. Having an urge to hang up, he was about to press down on the dial when a voice stopped him. 

"Urameshi, this is not the time to be stupid. I... really have to talk to you about something." 

Yusuke noticed the intensity of his best friends' voice and threw his hand away from the phone. 

"... Okay Kuwabara, this better be important." 

"Listen Urameshi; I need to talk to you in person. Meet me in the park on that big blue bench."

Yusuke rubbed his temple in annoyance and gritted his teeth. 

"Damn it Kuwabara, can't this wait? It's three o' clock in the morning for crying out loud!" 

"Do you want to find out what's wrong with me or not?" 

Yusuke immediately stopped talking and cleared all of his doubts. So there _was_ something wrong with Kuwabara after all. With a determined fire in his eyes, Yusuke nodded and answered the question. 

"Okay, okay. See you in five."

"Bye." 

***

The invisible wind was like a ghost among the trees. Its voice rang loud in the silent night, warning any bystanders of the dangers that was forthcoming. The moon was full as the stars glittered malevolently. In the park, leaves scattered across the benches and scratched the concrete quietly, as if it had a life of it's own. The darkness was like a stalker, always there to remind you that you weren't alone. The temperatures had dropped sufficiently, more than the weather castor had predicted it would. If anybody were to breathe, his or her breath would be shone like a mystifying mist that would disappear ever so mysteriously. The trees stood tall and proud, as if a fatherly figure to all that surrounded it. 

On the trees, that were high above anything, was a shadow. 

A flying shadow. 

***

Yusuke stuffed his hands into his pockets and muttered silently to himself. He yawned in fatigue and wished he were anywhere else but there. His shoes scuffed along the concrete, making very loud, annoying noises. To add more infuriation to the situation, the soft quiet night was giving Yusuke the creeps. Goosebumps were now forming on his legs and arms. He wasn't sure if it was because he was anxious, or if it was because the night was so damn cold. He walked only a few more feet when he had forgotten where the bench was. 

"Urameshi, over here!" 

Kuwabara's bright blue school uniform glowed radiantly in the dark night. So much, in fact, that Yusuke had no difficulty in finding his friend. The wind brushed against his clothes and the wind let out a howl. 

"Well, this is the most cheerful night I've ever seen." 

Yusuke was about to say another sarcastic comment, but when he saw the seriousness of his best friends' face, he closed his mouth instantaneously. More of the obscure silence surrounded the two boys, and the quiet was really grating Yusuke's nerves. Damn it! When the hell would Kuwabara speak up and say something? Raising his hands from his pockets, Yusuke crossed them and let out a sigh of impatience.

"Well, it was nice having this little talk Kuwabara, but I have to go on another date with Keiko tomorrow, and I have to get some sleep. Bye." 

A determined smile on his face, Yusuke started to walk away and once again, out of habit, stuffed his hands into his pant pockets. Elated and happy that he finally got out of that annoying situation, Yusuke started whistling a made up tune and began imagining all the torture he would have to endure in his date tomorrow---

"I had a nightmare." 

As soon as the words tumbled off Kuwabara's lips, Yusuke stopped walking and turned around. A numbing chill ran through his veins, and an icy poison devoured his soul. His eyes met his companions', and Yusuke didn't like the look in Kuwabara's eyes. He didn't like it at all. Confusion and discomfort squirmed around in the pit of his stomach, and he hated the situation he found himself in. 

"... What do you mean, a 'nightmare'?" 

An annoyed and anguished expression filled every line of Kuwabara's features. He took a deep breath, and let it out of his lungs in a slow motion. Damn it! How the hell was he going to say this? How could he explain the pain, anguish and paranoia he had felt everyday for the past couple of weeks? How could he describe the cold voice that plagued his dreams and haunted his life? How could he tell Urameshi about the mysterious phone calls? He didn't want Yusuke living in fear like their previous cases had done to him. Now, for the first time in his life, Yusuke seemed happy and relaxed. But Kuwabara knew, as soon as he looked at that anxious look in Yusuke's eyes, that no matter if Kuwabara told him what was wrong or not, Yusuke would live in a haze of agony. Taking another deep breath, he looked at Yusuke straight in the eye, and got ready to explain the twisted story.

***

The darkness. How he loved the black midnight color that was a reflection of his own heart. And this Kazuma Kuwabara... he was a complete opposite. His heart was a blazing sun of pure innocence that could never be stained with the blood of despair. What an interesting human... one of the only humans he ever found interesting. That Yusuke Urameshi was a wonder; a mystery that no one could figure out. But there was something about this Kuwabara. Something he found that intrigued him beyond his sanity. Over the past couple of months, Kazuma had become his obsession. To the point that he memorized every one of his signature moves, his fighting style, his technique. Everything. And that amazing Spirit Sword... 

Now that was something that _really_ fascinated him. 

Among everything else, even his in tune Spirit Awareness, it was Kuwabara's Spirit Sword that made him almost long for his blood. He wanted to know every secret of his materialization. He counted down the seconds until he could grasp hold of his white, pale neck and strangle it until his last breath left his broken body. Soon... so very soon. 

He would have his blood. 

***

"I know this is going to sound weird and freaky, but just listen, okay Urameshi?" 

"Yeah yeah. I will. Just tell me what's wrong Kuwabara. I don't have all night ya know." 

"Okay. Well... it all started a couple of nights ago. I kept having these weird dreams. The first dream I was running away from somethin'. Somethin' really scary. I just don't know what it was. Then I saw the shrimp---"

"Whoa, time out. You mean _Hiei_? You saw Hiei in your dream?"

"Yea. Isn't that weird? But that's not the worst part. The next dream, had you and Kurama as well as the shrimp. You guys were talking behind my back, about how I was a weak addition to the team and stuff. On top of all that, there's this voice that was in my nightmares, telling me it wants my blood. Whatever _it _is. Then last night, it actually called me! I thought I was over exaggerating... maybe I was just thinking the whole thing up, but...---"

"... But what?" 

Every muscle in Kuwabara's body tensed, and he dreaded with what he was going to say. 

"I had another nightmare. You were in it. You were running away from something too. It was the... Toguro Brothers. I tried to help you, but I was dead. Then they killed you..." 

Silence. Whatever assumptions Yusuke had before about how quiet it was, was thrown out the window. This silence was the quietest thing either had both heard. It was a deadly silence, a kind that not even buzzing was heard. The two best friends, who had been through so much together, locked eyes and kept their stillness. After several moments of the stilling absence of noise, Yusuke decided to take the conversation up again. 

"Man... I had no idea any of this was happening. You're such an idiot! You should've told me sooner! How could you keep something like to yourself?! Are you crazy or something?" 

"I didn't want you to be caught up in this! You were actually happy for once, and I didn't want to take that away!" 

Yusuke's eyes softened and so did the tone of his voice. Feeling an impending feeling of doom and a fellowship to Kuwabara, Yusuke sat on the bench and put his hand on Kuwabara's shoulder. 

"Hey... we'll get through this. We always do. C'mon, we've been through worse shit than this. And somehow, we always make it out alive. Don't worry about it." 

Kuwabara pushed Yusuke's hand away, and a tormented look burst into his eyes. 

"No Urameshi. You're wrong. Something's different this time. I can't explain it, but... something tells me this isn't going to be easy like every other case we've been on." 

As if a light bulb lighted on top of Yusuke's head, he sat upright suddenly and scratched his head in confusion. 

"Hey, speaking about our cases. Why hasn't Koenma told us about this? Or Botan? I mean, I'd expect at least Botan would come and nag me about this case, but she hasn't even done that. Do you think something's wrong?" 

"Maybe." 

Yusuke sat back in thought, putting his hand on his chin and thinking of possible variables. Was something wrong in Spirit World? Damn it! Yusuke hated being in the dark in all of this. He never thought he'd actually miss hearing Botan's annoyingly cheery voice or Koenma's bossy and rude manner when he was describing a case. Thinking more about the subject, he lost himself in thought. 

In a split second, without much time to react, a figure appeared in front of the two boys. Kuwabara stared in awe, but then quickly he immediately recognized the figure. 

"Hiei?!" 

___________________________________________________________________________________

MWHAHA! What a cliffy! So Kuwabara finally told Yusuke about what was wrong. FINALLY! Jeez, Kuwabara's too stubborn for his own good. The main question remains. Who is the bad guy? Why and what does he want with Kuwabara? Why hasn't Yusuke heard of Koenma or Botan lately? And another twist... why did Hiei suddenly appear? Has he been the one keeping close surveillance on them? But for what purpose? You'll find out, next time on Dame Yume! ^__^

Oh, and don't forget, if you have an idea of who the bad guy is, e-mail me at PrinceVegeta5044@aol.com!

Until next time!

****


	5. A Venomous Poison

Hey! Here's a new chapter! I promised you guys it would be up soon! ^_~ Thanks to Catgirl-13, Jesscheaux Kuwabara, Wicked-Wytch, HimalyanRex, Demonic Dragon, Jesanae Tekani, Kazima Kuwabara, and Bard (I'm sorry I didn't mention you! I guess I didn't see your name! Thanks so much for the review)! Thanks so much for your reviews! They mean a lot to me! I know this fic may have a lot of stuff happening, but things will make sense soon enough. Just know the basics:

A bad guy is obsessed with Kuwabara and wants Kuwabara dead. 

Kuwabara is having these weird strange nightmares and threatening phone calls that _somehow_ connect to the bad guy. 

Now since Kuwabara told him, Yusuke knows what's going on.

Where the heck are Koenma and Botan?

Hiei has been the one keeping close watch on the two boys, but for what purpose? 

Well, if you want those questions answered keep reading. And if you have another question that wasn't listed above, leave it in the review or e-mail me about it. I hope those are your only questions @_@; lol. 

Please pay close attention to this chapter. If you think you're confused now, just you wait! This chapter will involve a lot of Hiei. . . This chapter will at least answer one of those questions above. 

If you're really lost, e-mail me at PrinceVegeta5044@aol.com and I'll answer any comments, suggestions, or questions you may have. Jeez, I hope this story isn't too confusing. ^^;

Enjoy the chapter, and please review! ^_~

___________________________________________________________________________________

****

Chapter Five

Kuwabara writhed in shock and discomfort, not accustomed to the sight of the figure that stood a few mere feet in front of him. What in the hell...? Why did Hiei suddenly appear? In a whim of anxiety and this unwavering excitement, Kuwabara's patience had finally run thin. 

"What the _hell_ are you doing here, Shrimp?"

Expecting a reasonable explanation like Kuwabara had anticipated, Hiei had not uttered a word. Instead, his eyes were staring right into Kuwabara's eyes, and the look in them gave Kuwabara the creeps. The look in his eyes were haunted, tired, almost tormented. Why did Hiei's eyes look like that? Almost as instantly as Kuwabara noticed the look, Hiei's eyes turned back into the arrogant, prominent eyes the boys were used to. As if he was snapping back into reality, Hiei turned to look at Yusuke and then Kuwabara.

"It's none of your business why I'm here, idiot." 

Kuwabara felt a hot surge of anger run through his veins, but almost forgot about it when Hiei spoke the next comment. 

"You're probably wondering why your precious Koenma and Botan haven't contacted you recently. It's simple. Something has happened in Spirit World, blocking any contact in or out. So I suggest you humans stop worrying about them. They're obviously trying to solve the problem as we speak..." 

This information caught Yusuke's attention, and immediately he perked up. So Koenma and Botan _were _okay after all. Sighing in relief, Yusuke sat back in a calm manner. At least until realization sank in. 

"Wait... how do you know all this, Hiei?---"

"Don't ask any stupid questions, Detective. I don't always have to answer your pitiful inquiries. As for the fool," Hiei uneasily shifted his glance to Kuwabara, "What's wrong with him?"

Before Yusuke could ask how Hiei knew something was wrong with Kuwabara, he sighed and began explaining.   


"Well, before we were rudely interrupted, Kuwabara was telling me about some nightmares he's had recently. Just about us, and how we were talking bad behind his back. Then about the Toguro Brothers, killing Kuwabara then me. And this whole time, there's always this voice saying 'I want your blood' in the background, and Kuwabara even got a weird phone call---"

Yusuke immediately stopped talking when he noticed the weird look in Hiei's eyes. It almost seemed as if he wasn't paying attention to any word Yusuke was saying. They had a glazed look about them, almost like a glint of apprehension. Almost instantly, Hiei snapped out of his daze and looked at Yusuke with an infuriated expression on his face. 

"Why'd you stop your story, idiot? Keep going." 

Not liking the feeling that Yusuke was getting at the pit of his stomach, he continued to finish his statement. 

"... Yeah well, anyway, that's about it. We just don't know who's been causing it, or why and how the nightmares have anything to do with the person who's behind it." 

In a voice of venom to be competed with, Hiei commented back. 

"I _see_. So the fool has been having these pointless nightmares that don't seem to relate to the voice that's been calling him? Sounds like the fool's hallucinating. For all we know, the idiot could be making the whole thing up just to get attention." 

This stirred up all the insecurities and anger that had been swelling up in Kuwabara for the past few weeks and his frustration exploded like a volcano. 

"Shut up about things you don't understand, Shrimp! I _did_ have those nightmares and I _did_ get those phone calls! Why would I be doing this for attention? What's your problem anyway? Why do you seem so edgy? And how did you know I had a problem? And how the hell did you know we knew something was up with Koenma and Botan? Have you been spying on us? But why?!" 

Any sound that had been heard over the past couple minutes faded. In fact, it was so quiet, Kuwabara's voice echoed and rang for a few seconds and then completely disappeared. Yusuke was surprised at his best friend's sudden outburst, but was curious to see what Hiei would answer. 

Silence.

Not even Yusuke's thoughts brought any noise into his soul. It seemed as if the wind quieted, and the trees stopped moving. Everything went into a standstill; no animals scurried by, no birds flew across the onyx sky. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. Nothing, until Hiei started laughing. 

__

At first, it was a small chuckle that could hardly be heard and then it turned into evil, maniacal laughter. The laugh bore deep into Kuwabara's soul, and filled him with an empty fear that ate him alive. It filled within him; within his heart, soul, body, and mind. All he could hear was the cruel and cold laugh. It was so loud it was hurting his ears, making him go deaf. Excruciating pain was felt where his ears should've been. He screamed in pure agony, but could not hear his cry. At first, he thought it was because of his new deafness, but it was because of Hiei's malevolent laugh. When would it stop? WHEN WOULD IT STOP?!

"Kuwabara! Kuwabara! Hey! Are you there?!" 

Kuwabara snapped out of his vision, and 'awoke' to see Yusuke's startled expression and Hiei's calm collected expression. His forehead was burning hot and he winced when he touched it. Sweat poured down his face, and he could hear his heart hammer into his ribcage. Everything was spinning, and nausea and ache filled his body. His eyes narrowed, and he doubled over in pain. Upon collapsing on the floor, the concrete scratched up his school uniform and left new, raw bleeding cuts on his arms and legs. 

Yusuke worriedly ran over to his best friend, and grimaced in worry. His eyes narrowed slightly and his heart seemed to ache in pain as he saw Kuwabara injured on the floor. Anger swelled within him when he realized Hiei wasn't trying to do anything to help him.

"Damn it Hiei! Help me, will ya?" 

Yusuke turned around to face the fire demon, but no one was there. Ignoring the strange fact that he left, Yusuke continued to tend to his injured friend. 

"Hey Kuwabara, are you okay?" 

Despite the immense amount of pain he was feeling, Kuwabara gradually sat on his knees and finally stood back up. 

"What _happened_ Kuwabara?" 

Kuwabara grimaced when he realized he still had a fever, and bit back the dizziness that threatened to overcome him. 

"I... I don't know Urameshi. I had this... weird vision thing. Hiei was laughing..."

"That's it? Ooo, real scary Kuwabara." 

"No, listen! It was... really weird." 

The two boys stood in silence once more, and Kuwabara expected to see another vision, but none came. With a sinking feeling of dread, Kuwabara sighed and looked right into Yusuke's eyes. 

"Hey Urameshi... can I ask you somethin'?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you... think the bad guy's Hiei?" 

Yusuke hesitated and winced, but nodded seriously. 

"Yeah. I really think so. But if he is, we're in trouble Kuwabara. Big trouble."

***

The black and dark of the night obscured everything from anyone's eyesight. The darkness was like a black sea, covering everything. To attempt to see something was like trying to see through a wool blanket. Not one light was on in the entire city, for everyone was sleeping peacefully and without worry. Not even in dark alleyways, where there was supposed to be streetlights were they any lights on. A somewhat tall, nicely built figure was leaning on one of the dark walls, crossing his arms in contempt. The mysterious figure had been waiting for someone for quite some time and sighed in relief when a second figure suddenly appeared a yard away. 

The only lights that filled the dark alleyway, were the eyes of the first stranger. His eyes were glowing orbs of a beautiful green; it's light shining off various corners of the alleyway. The green was the only part of his eyes that you could see; his pupils and iris was completely green. This shadowy stranger spoke up at once. 

"Hiei, why didn't you tell them more information?" 

The second figure, Hiei, growled in annoyance and lost himself in angst. An unbearable pain welled up within the depths of his soul, and he whimpered in pain. Regaining his composure, he answered back in a terrible voice, filled with venomous poison. 

"Leave me alone, fox. You know as well as I do that they'd be better off not knowing. This is something the two fools need to figure out themselves." 

In the mid-night black darkness, there wasn't a lot that you could see of the two figures. There was, however, one thing that you couldn't miss. Hiei's flushed and angered face changed. In the blanket of black, you could almost see a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

__

How can I get more evil than leaving you off with an evil cliffhanger? So, did you guys like the chapter? When I reread everything, Kuwabara's vision gave me the creeps, lol. What was Kurama and Hiei talking about in the dark alleyway? Is Hiei really the bad guy? Will Kuwabara get another nightmare? Who knows, maybe even Yusuke and Kuwabara will need some help on this... maybe from an old friend. All this and more, next time on Dame Yume! ^__^ Please review! 


	6. A Bleeding Heart

O_O;; I am so royally sorry. I don't know what happened. High School came, and all of my free time went. I hope you guys can still read and like this fanfic after the LOOOONNNNGGGG wait. I promise I'll update frequently now. ^_^ Thanks to Wicked Wytch, HieiGenkailuver, Jesscheaux Kuwabara, Kazima Kuwabara, Dark Dragon, Jesanae Tekani, Catgirl-13, Angelfirey, Dragon Of The Rose, HimalayanRex, Kage okibi( a little obsessive, aren't we? o_O), Bard (Whoa whoa whoa... don't even think like that. Don't people know the meaning of best friends? *sigh* In every one of my fanfics everyone think the main characters are a couple -_-;), Neshagurl(Thanks for all the great reviews!), kikyousgurl, Alex, and bit-Blackmage! You guys ROCK! 

It's so cool to see you what you guys think of the chapter ^_~ Most of you guys were creeped out, while most of you thought Hiei was somehow involved, but not evil. *smirks evilly* I wonder what _is _up with Hiei... MWHAHA! It's funny, cuz I have a good idea of the bad guy, but it's not definite. Hmm... who should it be? ^_^ 

Anyway, this is probably going to be my longest and most coolest chapter yet. A lot of important events happen, so pay close attention! 

****

**** IMPORTANT ****

This chapter and this fanfic is dedicated to my friend, Jessica Clinton. 

****

Jessica Clinton

July 5th, 1986 - October 2nd, 2003

R.I.P. 

~May you soar with the angels, so you can live death as you did life; flying towards your dreams~

___________________________________________________________________________________

****

Chapter Six

__

I. 

There were many meanings to such a simple word. In a sense, it has as many complexes as it has simplicities, so therein lies the true intricacy. The word has many sufficient meanings; it was a word of possession, meaning that whatever objects you actually receive, it was yours. It is the ninth letter of the human alphabet, and yet you still don't know the true significance of that unique word. 

__

Want. 

Ah, another word of possession. Only this time, it was the subordinate lack of possession. Want was a word that meant a desire; a desire of wanting something so much that you would do _anything_ to get it. Want is something that is needed to give the attempter satisfaction. It is the lack of something needed to live with true happiness. You see, it is a simple word with many complexities. 

__

Your.

Wow... this word was very important. Yes, you guessed it, human. It has to do with possession as well. If something is yours, you obtain it. It is in your possession. It belongs and is only _yours_. What a truly great word this is. It means that you have gotten that which you truly desire. It is in your reach and beyond anyone else's. Such a simple word, but with much complexity. 

__

Blood. 

As you involuntarily shiver, I shiver as well. Blood is my favorite word, second only to death. You shiver with fear, but I shiver with pleasure. Blood is the red, warm substance that oozes out of your decaying corpse. It is life fluid; the life fluid you need to survive. Blood provides your body oxygen, and without it, you suffocate. Nothing gives me more amusement then to see Kuwabara's blood oozing out of his body... his life and soul instantly drifting away. And this time, it will never come back. 

__

I want your blood. 

What a complex phrase. 

***

As Yusuke and Kuwabara were walking home, the usual silence shrouded many of their insecurities. Yusuke started to hate the silence that the two friends were getting accustomed to. He looked around uncomfortably, not wanting to make it obvious that he hated the moment they were stuck in. In habit, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and avoided making eye contact with Kuwabara. But his efforts failed. On pure curiosity, Yusuke took a quick glance at his friend. But he found himself unable to look away. 

Kuwabara looked terrible. His eyes were closing involuntarily, and his hair was going in every direction possible. His body was shaking miserably, and sweat damped Kuwabara's blue jacket. Yusuke felt a pang of sympathy for his best friend, and decided best that he would drop off Kuwabara at his house before Yusuke went home. 

Before they knew it, the two boys were right in front of Kazuma's house. Yusuke shifted his feet and looked at the ground. 

"So... umm... I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Just try and get some sleep, okay? I don't want to come and drag you out at 5:00 in the afternoon tomorrow because you slept in late." 

Kuwabara winced in pain, but then smiled back at Yusuke in a sarcastic happiness. 

"Don't worry Urameshi, that won't happen." 

Yusuke's eyebrow raised in confusion. "And why's that?" 

Instantly, the sarcastic smile disappeared from Kuwabara's face. A haunted, tormented look came into his eyes and it almost seemed as if he was going to cry. The next few words that came out of his mouth, was the most desperate and pained voice Yusuke had ever heard in his life. 

"Because I'm not going to sleep." 

An instantaneous anger and pain welled up within Yusuke, and he felt like punching Kuwabara in the face. 

"Why not, you idiot? You look terrible! You need some rest!" 

"I'm not having one of those nightmares again, Urameshi! So just shut up about it! I'm not going to sleep no matter what you say!"

"So what, Are you never going to sleep again? Don't be stupid! Don't let Hiei or whoever this guy is win, Kuwabara! Show him or her that you can get through the nightmares!" 

This seemed to change Kuwabara's mind, and Yusuke sighed in relief. He began to walk away, but he had to make sure his best friend would stick to his word. 

"Hey Kuwabara... you have to promise me you'll get some rest, okay? Do you promise?" 

Kuwabara turned his back to Yusuke and continued walking to the front door of his house. 

"Yeah Urameshi... I promise." 

Yusuke smiled, knowing that Kuwabara wouldn't let him down. Kuwabara was a man of honor, a man of his word, so Yusuke knew that he could trust him. Without so much as a second glance, Yusuke ran down the lawn and started to sprint towards his house. 

Kuwabara stepped inside his dark, morbid house and locked the front door as soon as it clicked shut behind him. He sighed miserably, a huge guilt consuming him. 

__

"I'm sorry Urameshi... I can't go back to sleep. There's no way I'm having one of those creepy nightmares again!" 

With a determined fire in his eyes, Kuwabara walked down the hallway and went into his room, not knowing of the ironic danger that was soon to follow him...

***

Yusuke slowed down his pace to a quick jog, and then gradually he stopped running to catch his breath. 

He looked around, getting accustomed to his surroundings. He was about six blocks from his house, so Yusuke decided to take it slow from here. For some apparent reason, he didn't want to be away from Kuwabara. He didn't want his best friend to be in anymore danger. A smile slowly formed on his lips as Yusuke thought of what he had just admitted to himself. 

They were best friends. 

Yusuke remembered a time when they were nothing but rivals; two street fighters that wanted to gain the honor of representing their Junior High. It was kind of ironic that the two went to the same school, but fate played many funny tricks. They consistently fought everyday... and everyday Yusuke won. But that didn't seem to matter to Kuwabara; he was always ready for another fight as soon as he spotted Yusuke on the street. 

__

"Ah... the good old days." 

Yusuke had never thought of Kuwabara as a best friend, let _alone_ a friend back then. He knew Kuwabara's best friends were Okubo, and his gang. Not the rival that had always beat him down. But their rivalry immediately changed, into this sense of friendship. Now, on every mission they had survived together, Kuwabara was always there for Yusuke. And the surprising part was, Yusuke was always there for Kuwabara. Once heated rivals, and now the best of friends. His smile turned to a frown as he thought of the impending situation. 

Someone was trying to kill him.

Who would want to do such a thing? Who had always hated Kuwabara, ever since the beginning? 

Hiei. 

But wasn't it just too obvious? Why would Hiei strike _now_? Why not try to kill him on one of their missions, when a murder could seem like an accident? Yusuke cringed in anger, trying to push away the annoying helplessness that was clawing away at his heart. Was it Hiei? Or someone else? Every finger pointed to the fire demon, but... there was something not right. Why did Hiei tell them what was up with the Spirit World if he wasn't trying to help them? If Hiei were the bad guy, wouldn't he have tried to kill Kuwabara right on the spot? Why was he waiting?

Damn it! This didn't make any sense! 

At that moment, Yusuke heard a crunch of a leaf and turned around. 

Nothing was there. 

Yusuke laughed out loud, and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Damn he was getting paranoid. He just needed to chill, forget about all the stress until the morning. With the prospect of sleep, Yusuke walked just a little faster in a direction. But he found himself not going the direction of his own house. He found himself going to Kuwabara's house. 

Something bad was going to happen. 

***

Kuwabara sat down on his bed, and resisted the urge to just fall back on it and go to sleep. Damn! He hated this! He remembered the normal days, when he could just drift off to a blissful sleep with having an irritating reminder that a terrible nightmare would be coming. Despite the facts he could see and hear ghosts, he had had peaceful nights at times. Kuwabara would give anything to return to those days. 

Now, he looked behind his back constantly, and would always hear a threatening voice in the back of his head. His heart pounded in his ears, and he felt as if his heart would fly right out of his chest. He couldn't even remember the last time he could sleep peacefully... even though it had been a few weeks; it had felt like an eternity. He slammed his fists down on to the soft mattress, ruffling the white sheets and pillows. 

"_No matter what... I won't go to sleep." _

No matter what, he didn't want to surrender to the haunting images in his nightmares. He didn't want to surrender and hear that loud, cold voice whisper frightening messages to him. He didn't want to see another one of his friends die, or see another old enemy ready to leap from the shadows. Damn it! Why was this happening? He didn't understand... who was this crazy son of a bitch? And was Hiei really the one responsible for all this? What was happening in Spirit World? Where was Botan or Koenma? Why was Hiei watching them earlier in the park? How did he even know they were going to the park?

Damn... all of these thoughts really tired him. Maybe if he just went to sleep...

__

NO! You can't go to sleep!

But I'm tired and sleepy... 

__

Get over it, weakling! If you go to sleep, you'll have another nightmare. 

I don't care... 

Kuwabara cringed at his inner thoughts, and a quick burst of irritation exploded within him. He immediately stood up, and grabbed hold of whatever he could. He managed to grab his lamp, and he threw into the wall. It smashed into billions of tiny pieces; pieces of glass flew everywhere. Some shards flew toward his direction, and it cut his face. Blood seeped from the new, raw wounds. It trickled down his face and onto the carpeted floor. In a rage of pure anger and exhaustion, he fell onto his knees and closed his eyes. . . 

***

__

He ran and ran and ran... running forever into the dark, black abyss. His legs were sore and aching with pain. His body screamed at him to stop, but his stubborn nature persisted to him to move forward. He was confused, because this time he wasn't running from a pursuer... it seemed as if he was running to _something, not running _away_ from something. He cringed inwardly at the thought. He had no idea where he was going... what was he running to? _

... Then, out of nowhere, two figures appeared, a mere 10 feet away from him. He gasped in shock and realization. 

It was Genkai and Toguro. 

His eyes widened in confusion, but then to a paralyzing fear as he realized what was happening. 

Toguro was killing her. 

Toguro was in his 120% form, and he had Genkai cornered. With an evil smirk and a malicious laugh, he punched her repeatedly in the stomach. Blood spurted out of Genkai's mouth, and her life was drifting very quickly from her body. Kuwabara cried out in pain, and charged towards Toguro, but went straight through him. Kuwabara whimpered in helplessness, and knew he had to see the horrendous end. Toguro took no hesitation to make the final blow. He grabbed Genkai's shirt and clenched it tightly. It was one of the most horrible things Kuwabara had ever seen. In that split second, he could see every single wrinkle of anguish on her face. Her eyes were drowned in pain. The sorrow seemed to come out and reach Kuwabara, making him feel the agony as well. As if Toguro read his mind, he locked eyes with Kuwabara, and gave one of the most horrible smiles he had ever seen. 

"So Kuwabara... how does it feel to be the one to watch as she dies?" 

Kuwabara gasped in shock. Toguro looked away from Kuwabara's eyes, and locked eyes with Genkai. With his hand, he cut into her skin and took out her heart. 

That second was frozen into Kuwabara's soul. He knew he would never forget it. 

Toguro threw Genkai's heart a few feet away, and Genkai and Toguro's bodies disappeared into the black. 

Kuwabara cried, tears splashing down his pale, pallid face. His heart ached in torment and anger. Damn it! Why did he go right through Toguro? Why couldn't he save her? He wanted to fall to the floor and just die... the pain was too much. His eyes looked at the pounding heart on the floor... the pounding heart of Genkai... the once pounding heart that made someone live. . . 

All of the sudden, Kuwabara spotted a figure in the distance. It was coming closer with every second that passed. Footsteps could be heard now, and at last Kuwabara could distinguish who it was. 

"Genkai?" 

Happiness filled his entire body, and relief settled into his features. She was alive! But as soon as the happiness came, it immediately dispersed. There, in the center of her chest, was a hole where her heart was supposed to be. Kuwabara could feel nausea burst in his head, and he resisted the urge to throw up. Confusion numbed his head, and pain numbed his body. All he could do was stare. 

"Why are you here, Genkai?... Didn't Toguro kill you?" 

No response. Genkai continued walking, and it was then that Kuwabara noticed what she was walking to. 

Her heart. 

Still confused by her actions, Kuwabara just stood and watched as she came within five feet of the heart. Then he heard the most horrible sound he ever could. Elder Toguro's laughter. Instantly, Genkai's body transformed into Elder Toguro, and Elder Toguro picked up Genkai's bleeding, pumping heart. He looked directly into Kuwabara's eyes, and clutched her heart tightly. He laughed a cold, paralyzing laugh and then said the very last words Genkai told Kuwabara before she went off to get killed by Toguro in the Dark Tournament. 

"You have a gentle heart, Kuwabara. Use it..." 

Elder Toguro squeezed Genkai's heart, and the blood splattered onto Kuwabara's face. Then, Elder Toguro took no hesitation in making his hand into a knife, and he bore into Kuwabara's skin and took out his heart...

***

"NOO!" 

Kuwabara jumped, his heart hammering into his rib cage. Everything was circling around him, and he couldn't focus on anything. Everything was a whirlwind of color, and he was very dizzy. He put his hand on his steaming forehead, trying to lessen the pain but to no avail. Everything was spinning... he was dying... he was eternally bleeding...

"Kuwabara! Hey! Earth to Kuwabara... are you okay?" 

Instantly, everything stopped. His eyes focused, and they zeroed in on Yusuke. Kuwabara let out a sigh of relief, and lay back on his bed, and then clutched his heart. Good... it was still there. 

"Ura... Urameshi. Why... Why are you here?" 

Yusuke's face was contorted in grief and worry, but then gradually, his expression turned into a calm, somewhat happy one. 

"Well... I thought something was going to happen to you. And I guess it has... you were practically screaming bloody murder when I walked in. By the way, your freakin' door was open. Damn it Kuwabara, you're never going to survive this bad guy if you can't even remember to lock your door!" 

Kuwabara grinned; this was exactly what he needed. Yusuke's damned sarcastic attitude to relieve him of all the stress. 

"So Kuwabara, what the hell happened?" 

Kuwabara sat up, and he leaned his back against his pillows. Damn... now he'd have to relive the whole hellish nightmare all over again... Kuwabara took in a deep breath, and was ready to begin... when...

A loud noise had interrupted him. Yusuke looked over at Kuwabara, fear in his eyes. 

"Kuwabara... what the hell was that?" 

Kuwabara shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Don't ask me, Urameshi... it sounded like it was coming from the doorway..." 

"See! I told you you have to lock that damned door!" 

Kuwabara grinned inwardly, but his fear stopped him from saying anything else. Someone was in the house. Yusuke and Kuwabara kept their ground, frozen with fear. All they could do was wait, and see who the intruder was. The figure leapt into the room and almost gave the two boys a heart attack. The figure walked forward, and it reminded Kuwabara of his nightmare, when Genkai was walking towards him... The figure came out of the shadows. It was...

"Genkai**_?!_**" The boys screamed simultaneously.

Sure enough, Genkai came into view, a mischievous smirk planted on her face. 

"Damn, boys, you two look like you just saw a ghost." 

Yusuke's pride caused Yusuke to cross his arms in an angry manner, the shock of seeing his mentor forgotten. 

"What the hell are you doing here anyway Genkai?" Yusuke asked, very curious as to what the answer was. 

"Well, _dimwit_, I thought you might need some help. I'm doing this as a damned favor, so you can drop that half-assed attitude, got it?" 

"Sheesh... looks like the old hag got out of the wrong side of bed this morning." 

"Damn it, Yusuke! This _old hag _could be sleeping rather than wasting her time trying to help you two morons!" 

At this, Yusuke gave up the verbal assault and crossed his arms once more. Kuwabara, who was grinning during the entire argument, lost his smile as he remembered his recent nightmare. Genkai noticed immediately. 

"Is there something that you'd like to share, Kuwabara? Or are you not going to inform Yusuke about your nightmare?" 

Kuwabara was shocked, having no idea how Genkai even knew about his dreams, let alone the recent nightmare. Getting over his frail emotions, he got ready to tell them, with courage in his heart. 

___________________________________________________________________________________

Don't you love Genkai and Yusuke's relationship? ^-^ Lol, I sure love it. Anyway, Genkai showed up, YAY! ^__^ But what help could she bring the two Spirit Detectives? Where are Hiei and Kurama? What the heck happened to Koenma and Botan? Is Hiei the bad guy? And why did Kuwabara have a dream about Toguro killing Genkai? -- And then Elder Toguro killing _him_? Are the Toguro Brothers back? All this and more, next time on Dame Yume! :D 

__ __


	7. Excruciating Pain

Hey everyone! Sorry for the extremely long wait, I've just been busy watching YYH DVD's and updating my Kuwabara website But when I don't update, trust me, this huge guilt consumes me and I feel really bad until I do update my fanfic. So whenever you're mad about me not updating, just know I'm going through hell until I do update. Anyway, thanks everyone for reviewing!   
  
Thanks to bit-blackmage, HieiGenkailuver, Katzztar, Dragon of the Rose, Jesscheaux Kuwabara, Kazima Kuwabara, Gojita the Saiyan Princess, Catgirl- 13, Alex, Nesha, Dokichan, Riye Link/ Reue, Jesanae Tekani, Sharnay, Arcia xinsanexdreamerx, radiskull222, Psyche, Yami, xinsanexdreamerx, KuramaKid15, Kage okibi, Celadine-Girl and Shizuru of the Darkness Flame! Thanks SO much for reviewing! You guys are the only reason I write this fic!

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

There really was nothing like the thrill and power of killing someone. Acting out the murder wasn't the fun part, as most people would assume. No, it was observing your victim's soul rise from the rotting corpse. A lot of things happen as soon as they take their very last breath. Their eyes glaze over, and roll to the back of their head, cursing them to see black forever. Every vital organ stops working and oxygen stops flowing into the lungs. The heart pumps out its last stream of blood, and then... it's over. The victim is dead. How he loved when his prey died; but at the very same time, he hated it. The murder was finished... no more fun. The victim that you despised so much was finally dead, never to be tortured by you again. What a miserable feeling in the pit of your heart.  
  
_Oh well,_ he thought, _I'll see my victim again in hell.  
_  
A chuckle escaped from his closed lips, as he visualized finally closing his fingers around Kuwabara's bloody neck.  
  
He couldn't wait.

* * *

"What the hell? So Toguro was in your dream, and he killed Genkai? And then Genkai turned into Elder Toguro and killed you? What the hell's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Kuwabara shrugged, discomfort settling into the pit of his stomach. Sweat trickled down his damp face and he wiped it off with the back of his hand. Damn it! Why was he sweating so much? He writhed with anxiety, trying to push away the nausea that was at the base of his skull.  
  
The room was in complete silence, except for Kuwabara's harsh and rash breathing. Yusuke held his chin between his hands and gave a large sigh.  
  
"So, where do we go from here?"  
  
Genkai returned Yusuke's sigh and crossed her arms.  
  
"The only thing we can do is to try to analyze Kuwabara's situation. If the only things happening to him are phone calls and nightmares, then the only way to eliminate that problem is to get rid of whoever's causing them. In other words, as soon as we destroy our enemy, this whole ordeal is over."  
  
"Yeah Grandma, we already knew that. I'm just sayin', it's gonna be friggin' hard to catch this guy if he only does stuff to Kuwabara by dreams and phone calls. I mean, where do we start?"  
  
Silence spread throughout the entire room, and the trio sat in the opaque darkness. Kuwabara tightened his fists. Damn it! What the hell was going to happen now? Was he just going to sit around every single day, living in fear, being constantly haunted by that damned voice in the nightmare? Was he just going to wait until a nightmare came, or wait until the phone began to ring? Anger settled into the pit of his stomach, and an unbearable impatience exploded into his soul.  
  
Genkai noticed Kuwabara's impatience and didn't like the eccentric look in his eyes. Damn... she knew all of this was really getting into his skin. An experience like this to happen to anyone would be hard to handle, especially someone like Kuwabara. She knew that Kuwabara had a very short temper, and hated not having full control of a situation. She looked over at Yusuke, and then to Kuwabara. The boys had the same look in their eyes; desperation, impatience, fear. Genkai sighed as she realized what she had to do.

* * *

Dawn was approaching the sleeping horizon, making a few of the sun's rays visible in the dark night. To Kurama, the light was somewhat comforting, and to him, it was a beacon of hope that things would soon get better. Kurama was well aware (too aware) of Kuwabara's situation. He knew that an impending enemy was giving the Spirit Detective nightmares and phone calls, and he knew that all contact to Spirit World had been blocked. Of all the information he did know, there were a couple of things he didn't know. He sighed heavily as his conscience ached with guilt, and a dreadful feeling came over his stomach.  
  
He didn't know what was wrong with Hiei.  
  
The fire demon had been acting very strangely over the past couple of weeks, and Kurama had absolutely no idea why. Every single time Kurama mentioned something about Yusuke and Kuwabara, Hiei would cringe or wince and would change the topic quickly. Many times Kurama asked if Hiei wanted to help the two detectives, but Hiei would vainly disagree. Why was Hiei so inclined not to help them?  
  
Kurama already knew that Hiei and himself were keeping a secret from Yusuke and Kuwabara, but what else was crawling into Hiei's skin? Did Hiei know something that Kurama had no idea about? Or... was Hiei the one responsible for all of Kuwabara's nightmares?  
  
Kurama frowned and leaned back onto the pillow in his bed. He closed his eyes to temporarily ease his discomfort, and opened them again. He had no idea where to go from here. He couldn't imagine that his best friend was the one responsible for this whole mess... but what if he really was?  
  
Was this really the end for humanity?

* * *

Ah, the darkness. So appealing... and so beautiful. He knew that most people preferred the darkness to the light. Light was irritating, burning your insides and making you blind as soon as it touched your eyes. Light was too bright and harsh. But darkness, on the other hand, was nothing short of perfect. It made your skin cold, it makes your face deathly pale. You can wrap yourself in the darkness, let yourself go. If he had any wish, it would be to make the darkness everlasting. He frowned in annoyance as he realized that the sun was just awakening, and it was rising and becoming visible from the stubborn horizon.  
  
He grit his teeth in frustration and lost himself in his resentment.  
  
_"Calm down..."_ He thought, _"Seeing Kazuma Kuwabara's scared face should be enough to ease your anger. Seeing your victim struggle, as it tries to figure out who you are is the best feeling. Poor fools... they don't even know where to start."  
_  
A grin was forming at his lips, but his lips turned into a small, serious slit when he noticed who had come to the Spirit Detective's aid.  
  
Aw, Genkai. That wench was too smart for her own good. He almost had the urge to go over and kill her now, but stopped himself. A small chuckle seeped from his parted lips. No, she would stay alive for now. He knew that Genkai was smart enough to figure out where to start. Her intelligence might even help him out a bit. He crossed his arms, loving the fact that he had full control of this situation.  
  
There was no way they would be able to defeat him.

* * *

Genkai frowned, and crossed her arms subconsciously. Damn... she knew she had to tell them. Even though the task was dangerous, and life-threatening, she knew there was no other way. She sighed, hating the situation she found herself in. She looked over at Yusuke and Kuwabara, knowing that once she told them what she was about to tell them, that their lives would be plunged into constant hell. But damn it, what other choice did she have? With utmost courage in her heart, she cleared her throat and got ready to explain.  
  
"Dimwit, Kuwabara... listen carefully. I have to tell you something very important-"  
  
"Damn it, Grandma, why do you always have to call me 'Dimwit'? I have a name you know!"  
  
"And as soon as you start calling me by_ my_ name, that's when _I'll_ start!" Genkai's face shriveled up in annoyance and she slapped her hand against her forehead. She really didn't need Yusuke's stupid remarks right now.  
  
Yusuke looked over at Genkai, and noticed the serious expression on her face and quieted down immediately.  
  
"Like I was saying, _dimwit_... I know a way that Kuwabara can receive more information about his dreams."  
  
It was like the eye of the hurricane, everything was tranquil and quiet, but it was just before the worst of the storm.  
  
"Damn it Grandma! Why didn't you tell us before?"  
  
Genkai cringed and continued explaining.  
  
"I didn't tell you before because what I'm about to say will be extremely dangerous. Listen very closely. Around 50 years ago, humans blessed with high amounts of Spirit Awareness kept getting terrible nightmares and horrifying visions. Everyone knows that if you have high Spirit Awareness like Kuwabara, having nightmares and visions are a normal part of having it. The humans back then were sick of getting them, so they came up with a way to give them more information about their dreams. For instance, if Kuwabara can master this technique, he can actually go wherever he wants in his dream. For example, Kuwabara, have you ever had a dream or nightmare that you were about to find out important information and you woke up? Or you wish you could ask someone in a dream something, but you couldn't control what you were saying? Well, if you master this technique, you can control yourself in your dream and not wake up until you choose to."  
  
Yusuke scratched his head in confusion, and gave Genkai a perplexed look.  
  
"Wait, I don't get it. So you're saying, if Kuwabara can master this technique, he can kind of control where he goes and what he does in his dream?"  
  
"Sort of. He can also keep a dream going and not wake up. It's hard to explain, and you have to experience it for yourself to truly understand what I'm talking about."  
  
Yusuke's eyes widened. "Are you saying that you've done this technique before?"  
  
Genkai was quiet for a few seconds, but nodded reluctantly.  
  
"Yes, I have. It's very odd and very hard to accomplish."  
  
Kuwabara, who had been listening to the entire thing in awe, finally broke his silent treatment.  
  
"I'll do it. But... what exactly do I have to do?"  
  
Genkai winced as horrible memories filled her head, but she shrugged them off.  
  
"Going through with this technique is extremely difficult. It will be the hardest task of your entire life. Are you really willing to do this?"  
  
Kuwabara nodded, and Yusuke laughed in bewilderment.  
  
"Aw, c'mon Grandma, this technique doesn't seem that hard. What could be so hard about it? I bet that stupid technique doesn't compare to the things you made me do in your evil boot camp."  
  
"You're wrong, dimwit, like always. This technique involves the utmost discipline and control. Something that you could never do. But if Kuwabara wants this bad enough, then maybe he can achieve it. But I don't promise anything."  
  
Kuwabara crossed his arms and his eyes filled with determination. He wasn't exactly sure he fully understood what this technique was, and he wasn't sure why this technique was so hard to master, but he felt this fire of will power explode in his heart. Whatever Genkai told him to do, he would do without hesitation. He would do anything to find out more information about the threatening voice that froze his soul.  
  
"First I have to tell you how this works. When you finish the first set of rules, whatever dream, nightmare, or vision you have received lately will come back and give you more information. For you Kuwabara, it should be another bizarre nightmare involving that threatening voice. What will happen in your dream is up to the enemy that's giving you these nightmares.  
  
I will explain what you have to do for the technique in a second. First, I have to make sure that you have enough discipline to do this. Hold out your hands and create your Spirit Sword."  
  
Kuwabara wasn't sure how making his Spirit Sword would show discipline but he did it anyway. Despite the fact that he was exhausted and in pain, he concentrated all of his energy and the room erupted with light as Kuwabara's Spirit Sword formed in his outstretched hands.  
  
"Good, you've passed the first test. I at least know now that you'll listen to my every order without hesitation. Test number two. You have to hold your sword in your hand for one hour."  
  
Kuwabara's eye practically popped out of his head. He was about to say something, but Yusuke beat him to it.  
  
"Is your old age finally catching up to you, Grandma? Isn't this being a little too harsh? I mean, Kuwabara looks and feels sick! He doesn't have enough energy to do your stupid test!"  
  
"I realize Kuwabara's feeling under the weather, and his holding his Sword requires ten times as much energy as your Spirit Gun, but if your friend can't complete this test, he can just forget about doing the technique!"  
  
Kuwabara cringed in fatigue, and his knees almost gave out at the thought that he had to hold out his sword for at least 55 more minutes. His eyes began to close, and sleep was starting to take over him... He was so tired. He was so tired that he would've been able to sleep for days. The thought of closing his eyes and not feel any pain for a while seemed comforting. And all he had to do was close his eyes...  
  
No! He wouldn't give this up! He had to learn the technique Master Genkai was going to teach him. Damn it, this was not the time to be weak like he always was. He was sick and tired of being helpless in some situations... He was sick of losing to this stupid anonymous adversary. Now, the fate of his and his friend's lives depended on if he mastered this technique or not. It was up to him. Not Kurama and Hiei, not Urameshi... _him_.  
  
For one of the first times in his entire life, Kuwabara felt this heavy weight on his shoulders. His stomach tied into nervous knots, and his heart hammered against his rib cage. It was all up to him. If he couldn't hold out his Spirit Sword for an hour, there was no way he would be able to defeat this threatening enemy... He flinched as he felt his energy leave his body by the second, and sweat dripped down his face. Damn... this was so hard... Anger welled up inside of him. If this was hard, how would he ever be able to endure his next task?  
  
He thought of the painful chance that he didn't succeed in this. The entire world would be doomed. Masses of people would be destroyed; buildings and homes would come crashing to the ground. Everyone would be gone and it would all be his fault. Everyone would be dead... his gang, _Okubo_, _Kirishima_, and _Komada_... _Shizuru_... _Kurama_... _Hiei_... He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. _Genkai_... _Yusuke_... _Yukina_...  
  
Suddenly, Kuwabara felt this unmistakable surge of power rush through his entire body, and it flowed through his veins. He was no longer tired, and the fatigue he felt earlier had completely disappeared. In fact, he had felt better now then he had for weeks.  
  
Seconds that seemed like an eternity passed by as if they were minutes. Before Kuwabara even knew it, he was only minutes away from completing his mission.  
  
Yusuke was staring in quiet fascination at his best friend. Where had he gotten all of this energy from? It seemed as if Kuwabara was a mountain of energy and all of it was spewing out as if he had a limitless amount. It was nothing short of amazing. Yusuke smiled, knowing that if there was any way to beat this bad guy, Kuwabara would figure it out.  
  
Genkai grinned in relief, surprised and pleased that Kuwabara had successfully achieved his test. Kuwabara sure had gotten powerful... Genkai's reassurance quickly diminished as she realized that this was nothing compared to the assignment ahead. Anguish filled the depths of her soul and anxiety took over her. Was she really willing to let someone she cares for go through with this? The procedure was nothing short of hell, and Genkai would never forget the one time she went through with it. She had barely made it out alive. Could Kuwabara withstand all the pain, the mental exhaustion?  
  
Damn it, she knew she wouldn't have even told the two boys if she wasn't absolutely sure that this was the only way they could learn more about their enemy. It's either the agonizing pain of one person or the deaths of billions. A pang of guilt spread through her heart like a cancer, and she looked away from Kuwabara.  
  
Kuwabara gave a huge sigh of relief when he looked at the clock and realized that the hour was through. His sword disappeared and the light immediately left the room. Kuwabara was exhausted, but extremely happy with himself. He had done the impossible... and it was all thanks to his will power. Kuwabara walked over to Genkai and Yusuke.  
  
"Congratulations Kuwabara. For a moment there I thought you were going to pull a dimwit on me and back out."  
  
Yusuke's face contorted in anger and he stared a death glare at Genkai.  
  
"Anyway, I am now going to explain to you what the procedure for the technique is. Are you ready?"  
  
Genkai cringed involuntarily as she remembered the time when she had to learn the hellish process.  
  
Kuwabara was dying with impatience, and he was ready to start.  
  
"Alright, enough with the suspense. The first thing you have to have to do is calm your mind. Make sure you're not thinking of anything. Free your mind of any thoughts and make sure you don't feel any emotion. This is easier if you close your eyes."  
  
Kuwabara did as he was instructed and closed his eyes. He took in a deep breath and removed everything from his head. He had to forget about the pain he was feeling in his skull, the thought that this insane lunatic was out there somewhere. It was difficult to forget the possibility that Hiei might be doing all of this, and it was exceedingly intricate to forget that a crazy madman was after him. After he erased everything from his mind, he nodded.  
  
"Are you done?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
It was really hard to bring her self to tell him what the next step was, but she knew she had to.  
  
"This is for the best..." She told herself.  
  
"Now you need to pretend as if you're going to sleep. Pretend it's just another night and you're going off to sleep."  
  
Kuwabara opened his eyes and walked to his bed. He lay down and threw the covers on himself.  
  
"Like this?"  
  
"Yes, moron."  
  
Kuwabara gave Genkai a death glare, in the same way Yusuke did a few moments ago, but didn't hesitate to close his eyes and go to sleep. Fear overtook him as he realized that he was going to have another nightmare in just a few seconds.  
  
Genkai could feel tears well up in her eyes, but there was no way in hell she let it show.  
  
"Now, repeat this over and over in your head.  
  
The soul has no control, over the fear and danger that the screams bring It happens so fast and quick, you don't even realize it's here You're overcome with torment as you see the story unfold Now become a character of the story..."  
  
Kuwabara found the chant strange, but understood what it meant. He said the chant and repeated it over and over. Strangely, a dream was starting to form in head and his body erupted in excruciating pain.

* * *

Great cliffy, right? Yeah, I thought so too. So, why is Genkai so worried about Kuwabara performing this technique? How does this technique work? What new information will Kuwabara receive? What will Kuwabara's nightmare be about this time? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This was my favorite part:  
  
"Congratulations Kuwabara. For a moment there I thought you were going to pull a dimwit on me and back out."  
  
Yusuke's face contorted in anger and he stared a death glare at Genkai.  
  
I could so imagine how Yusuke's face looks like. Lol. Well, see you next chapter! 


End file.
